Los Gatos, California Since1881
Editorial
| One council race heats up, the other is still cold And they're off and running! The race is on,and the field is filling up quickly in theNovember run for the Los Gatos Town Council.Things are not moving nearly as fast,however, in the Monte Sereno race. Five candidates have already taken outnomination papers for the fall campaign inLos Gatos, and two more residents haveindicated their intention to join the field. That means there could be as many as sevencandidates vying for the three seats up forgrabs - possibly more with three weeksremaining before the filing deadline. The political diversity in the field of LosGatos council hopefuls fosters hope for anexciting and interesting campaign in thefall. Yet, as exciting and interesting as theLos Gatos race promises to be, that's howdismal the race is shaping up in MonteSereno. Only two candidates have stepped forward totake out papers in the city council race, andthree seats will be open in the Novemberelection. A third candidate, incumbentBarbara Nesbet, has indicated an interest inrunning for re-election, but she has yet tofile. Terms are up for Mayor Jack Lucas andCouncilwoman Suzanne Jackson. Lucas, who hascommitted 18 years of dedicated service toMonte Sereno, and Jackson, an eight-yearcouncil veteran, have each been termed out ofoffice, the result of a 1998 council decisionto limit members to two terms. So unless someone else steps up to join thefield, there will likely be only threecandidates - Nesbet, Kim Hanrahan and DeepakChopra - running for the three open seats.It's certainly not the ideal formula for astimulating campaign. Monte Sereno residents deserve better. Votersdeserve a choice. So before the Aug. 14filing deadline comes up, someone needs tothrow a hat into this very uncrowded ring - iffor nothing else, to create a dialogue, toforce debate and to flesh out the issues. That should not be a problem in Los Gatos. With seven candidates in the council chase,issues are certain to come out and bediscussed, giving voters an excellentopportunity to study the contenders. And itwill be important for residents to make aninformed decision in the fall, since the faceof the Los Gatos Town Council will certainlychange come November. Mayor Randy Attaway and Councilman SteveBlanton, who have both served the council for12 years, have decided not to seekre-election, so at least two chairs will befilled by newcomers. Incumbent Joe Pirzynski will make anothercouncil run in the fall, and he'll be goingup against Diane McMutt, Barry Bakken, MikeWasserman and David Guimarin. Paul Dubois andJohn Housley are also expected to join thefield. The large field presents voters with aninteresting assortment of candidates, whosebackgrounds are as varied as the issues theywill present. It's that variety that gives the Los Gatoscouncil race great promise this fall. InMonte Sereno right now, however, it's morelike a broken promise. |
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